Friday, September 10, 2010

I have learned that my personal average for leaflets distributed in front of office towers is 100 per hour. And, on average, two people out of a hundred will stop to chat with me about classes. One will pause to flirt.

I handed out 300 flyers between yesterday and today. I received one email, asking for help in translating a business letter. (Done.)

I jogged 5k on each of the last three days, and I've got one hour of swimming scheduled per week. Next week I'll start yoga, twice a week.

Still, low and cash and contacts, Friday night brings with it one bottle of wine per, uhh, person, for entertainment.

"How did you end up here?"

All stories have a beginning, though not all stories have a clear plot. I chucked my U.S. life in 2008 and moved (yes, alone) to Porto Alegre, Brazil. In the spirit of courage, ambition, adventure, and curiosity, I set out to restore and recreate my Self. In the beginning I wrote under the quaintly misspelled nickname Loquinha Gauchinha, and My Life In Havaianas represented, to me, a new adventure.

In 2010 I moved to São Paulo, because, well, "Leap and the net will appear." I turned Paulistinha(but stayed "colorada"). Nets did appear --amazingly, but not surprisingly--again. Yet a year later I was on my way back to the States. A masters in US-Brazil collaboration kept me occupied and laid groundwork for later evolution.

Today, My Life In Havaianas has a new meaning to me. It represents a Self I recreated and continue to expand. It is a state of mind. A passion reignited. I'm ready to fill in the gaps. For now, you can call me Jenjinha.